This invention relates to medical devices, and more particularly to a blood sampling device which is capable of drawing the blood sample in a sealed configuration.
Lancing devices are known in the medical health-care products industry for piercing the skin to produce blood for analysis. Biochemical analysis of blood samples may be used as a diagnostic tool for determining clinical information. Many point-of-care tests are performed directly on capillary whole blood, which is typically obtained by making a small incision in the fingertip, creating a wound, which generates a blood droplet on the surface of the skin.
Conventional methods of lancing may include piercing or slicing the skin with a needle or razor. These methods may utilize lancing devices that contain a multitude of spring, cam and mass actuators to drive the lancet. Some devices may not integrate lancing and blood sample collection, but require the user to transfer the blood sample to the analysis device by exposing the lanced finger to air. Other devices lance the skin and collect the blood sample, but require suctioning ambient air along with the blood sample. Therefore, a method using the conventional device may lance the skin, but upon retraction may require the user to transport the blood sample from the finger to some type of blood analysis device or to suction the blood sample from the finger's surface. Accordingly, conventional methods of blood sampling may require several steps. Initially, the paraphernalia is assembled by loading a sterile lancet, loading a test strip, and arming the launcher. The intended target skin area, such as finger, is placed against the lancet launcher. The launcher is then activated using the other hand. Finally, the launcher is set aside and the lanced finger is placed against a test strip.
The problem with these conventional devices is that the blood sample may become exposed to ambient air and thus may contaminate the sample with ambient air including oxygen, nitrogen, other environmental gases. This may substantially compromise accurate gas analysis of the blood sample when conducting in vitro testing of the blood.